[The global and national context regarding the challenges involved in ensuring adequate access to water for human consumption]. / O contexto global e nacional frente aos desafios do acesso adequado à água para consumo humano.

The scope of this article is to analyze the challenges involved in ensuring access to water for human consumption taking the international and national context into consideration. Based on the UN declaration that access to safe and clean drinking water is a fundamental human right, vulnerabilities are identified that can consist in restrictions to access to adequate supplies. The distribution of water and the population across the planet, pollution, inadequate policies and management lead to environmental injustice. The iniquity of access to water constitutes the contemporary water crisis. From the 1980s onwards, the transnational water market emerged for private control that occurs at three main levels: surface and underground water sources; bottled water; and public water supply services. The conflicts of the multiple uses of water resources, the market and environmental problems have contributed to rendering the health of the population and ecosystems vulnerable. Adequate public policies are essential to ensure the basic human right to access to safe and clean drinking water.

Ovarian follicular response to different hormonal stimulation treatments in Canindé goats.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of different hormonal stimulation treatments on the antral follicular population of naturalized Canindé goats. Adult goats (n=17) having estrous cycles at regular intervals were treated with intra-vaginal sponges containing 60 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate for 11 days, combined with an application of 50 µg d-cloprostenol on the Day 8 of treatment. For ovarian stimulation, goats were distributed into the following experimental groups: (a) multiple doses (MD), with a total of 120 mg NIH-FSH P1 in five intramuscular injections (30/30; 20/20 and 20 mg) at 12-h intervals; (b) three doses (TD), with a total of 120 mg NIH-FSH P1 in three intramuscular injections (60; 40 and 20 mg) at 24 h intervals; (c) one dose (OD), which consisted of the use of 70 mg NIH-FSH P1 combined with 200 IU eCG administered intramuscularly 36 h before sponge removal. In the MD and TD groups, FSH injections were begun on the Day 8 of progestagen treatment. The ovaries of all animals were observed by transrectal real time ultrasonography (TRU) during the follicular stimulation protocols. All follicles ≥2 mm were counted, measured and classified according to greatest diameter. The ultrasonographic assessment of the ovaries provided for well-defined ovarian structures. At the time of insertion of the sponges (Day 0), significant differences were observed (P<0.05) for the mean number of large follicles between the treated groups. Meanwhile, on Day 11, the three treatments did not differ (P<0.05), regardless of the follicular category. The diameter of small follicles was similar in MD, TD and OD during the whole period of the study. In the TD group, diameter of the large follicles was less (P<0.05) on Day 10 when compared to MD and OD. However, these differences were not observed on Day 11. In conclusion, the three treatments produced comparable distribution of the follicular populations. However, the single dose treatment can be preferred because of its simplicity and efficacious follicular response.